It was neither an impossible mission nor a lost cause. In the twentieth game of the season, Barcelona played well again. More than two months after the double 5-0 against Betis and Antwerp, the Blaugrana team displayed their best performance since it was against a direct rival like Atlético. During this time, coinciding with the injuries of Pedri and Frenkie de Jong, the team seemed to have forgotten its essence. “I believe we can achieve it. Let me try,” asked Xavi Hernández in the press room. The transformation has not been instantaneous. It has been an improvement in three acts: the final stretch of Vallecas, the second half of Porto and the 90 minutes of the clash against Atlético, where a large part of the virtues that led them to be League champion last season were reflected.
The clean sheet. He had conceded the first goal of the game in four games in a row. That is, having to play in tow and forced to come back. He achieved it against Alavés and Porto but not against Shakhtar (defeat) and Rayo (draw). Therefore, it was important to get ahead against the colchoneros and once again keep a clean sheet, a hallmark of a solid team. It is the ninth blank sheet that Barcelona has presented, compared to 28 – among all competitions – last year. It is the first time that Iñaki Peña puts the lock, which had always fit. The last three performances by the Alicante goalkeeper, very calm, give peace of mind to the coaching staff in case Ter Stegen ends up opting for surgery to solve his lower back pain.
After winning the League, Xavi wanted to be more offensive to make the big leap in Europe and thought about giving a twist to the game, starting with the beginning, the release of the ball from the defense. Koundé's discomfort with playing almost the entire season as a right back was not new and the coach wanted to take advantage of the Frenchman's best foot to build better. That was the reason for Araújo to play at the beginning of the campaign as a winger. Koundé's injury in Granada and his lack of forcefulness on the Alavés day led Xavi to reverse his plan. Not touching what had worked so well. He has the logic behind him because the Uruguayan is the best center back on the team, due to his defensive concentration and his physical power. He wins more aerial duels than Koundé (72% to 65%) and is more effective in cutting and tackling in emergencies (1.8 to 0.8 per game). Tactically it is a win-win for Barça, since the former Sevilla player puts better lateral centers. This is how Lewandowski scored with a header to make it 1-1 against Alavés and was about to repeat it with a volley against Atlético. Araújo, yes, could play on the side again to face Madrid, against Vinícius.
The midfield was the epicenter of the best Barça in history and, after the influence was transferred to the forward (with the original trident and the idea of reissuing it with Coutinho, Griezmann, Dembelé...), Xavi intends to recover that power from its landing. The best games of his first two seasons were with Busquets near De Jong and Pedri. He also found the formula to fit Gavi, now long-term injured, as a false left winger. It is no coincidence, then, that the best version of Barça comes together with Gündogan, De Jong and Pedri. Although the German has played everything, they had barely been able to coincide. And that also influenced the fact that the three did not find themselves as advisable against Rayo and Porto. Against the Portuguese they made 128 passes and they only found Pedri eight times – 3 for the Dutchman and 5 for the former City player. Everything flowed on Sunday, with constant passing, rhythm and mobility. The three midfielders gave 231 good passes, two out of every five on the team (558). Furthermore, being close to each other and in the opposite field allowed Gündogan to make 14 steals, Pedri to press 33 times and De Jong to exceed 100 interventions.
More opportunities and clearer. Barça came out strong with two shots in the first three minutes, did not take their foot off the accelerator and finished the game with two counterattacks from Lewandowski and Fermín (he asked for a penalty). The team was daring, kept looking at the goal and generated more clear chances than recently: six. Not even against Porto (2), Rayo (3), Alavés (3) or Shakhtar (1) did they reach the area so easily. Lewandowski was not correct but João Félix was (5 goals already), intelligent to know when he goes into space.
To play from memory you need automation and having standard equipment. Xavi seems to have found it. It is a very expert team in which only Pedri is not yet 24 years old (Gavi is injured). This will help a more gradual growth of young people. Lamine Yamal should not carry so much responsibility now that Raphinha assumes stripes although Balde, Fermín and he will have many brilliant games.
